Check out this article about GTP in GamesBeat by Dan Crawley: “Seeing things: When gaming messes with reality — and your brain”

Damn Tetris blocks. Seeing them everywhere. Can’t sleep. Can’t turn them off.

For most of us, gaming offers a momentary escape from the real world, but for some, the distinction between onscreen actions and reality can blur. A recent study highlights how gaming can seriously affect our senses and offers a glimpse through the eyes of gamers whose brains keep on playing.

In the study, gamers talk about seeing a grenade icon from Call of Duty while out shopping and nearly commando-rolling away, a bedroom turning into a Minecraft-style grid, and a wide range of visual distortions that last long after a game is back in its box.

Not everyone is equally susceptible to these effects – likened to the symptoms of conditions such as epilepsy and schizophrenia – but should gamers experiencing them be concerned for their mental and physical well-being?

And does the game industry need to take notice of this research? Continue reading…

 

If you want to know more you can download the full study Altered Visual Perception in Game Transfer Phenomena: An Empirical Self-Report Study.